O.C. RELIGION | ORANGE COUNTY FILE

Christian Scholars to Gather in Costa Mesa

Best-selling author James Hunter will be the keynote speaker tonight at the C.S. Lewis Foundation's dinner in the Hilton Costa Mesa.

Hunter wrote "The Culture Wars: the Struggle to Define America" and the newly released "The Death of Character: Moral Education in a World Without Good or Evil." He'll speak on "Inside the Postmodern University: Rethinking the Challenge Before Us."

The event is designed to gather scholars who are also Christians.

"Christian faculty working within secular institutions of higher learning can find themselves working in relatively unsupportive, if not openly hostile, educational environments," said J. Stanley Mattson, the foundation's founder and president. "Our purpose is to network, encourage and support such persons."

Mattson contends that Christian scholars "in a mistaken sense of politeness and civility have not really wanted to take a risk or be in any way unpleasant. I don't think that's a luxury that spokespeople of any persuasion have."

The C.S. Lewis Foundation (http://www.cslewis.org), based in Redlands, was founded in 1986 to foster "a renewal of Christian scholarship and artistic expression in contemporary higher education."

Tickets are $40 per person, $75 per couple, available at the door. The hotel is located at 3050 S. Bristol St., Costa Mesa.

Performances

Alice Golembo will present "Famous Jewish Women's Perspectives," a one-woman act, at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Robert Mondavi Wine and Food Center. The event is part of a Trendsetters series sponsored by the Women's Division of the Jewish Federation of Orange County. Cost is $60 per event or $150 for all three programs. The center is at 1570 Scenic Ave., Costa Mesa. (714) 755-5555, Ext. 226.

Cantor Arie Shikler will sing traditional Shabbat songs from around the globe during an expanded service called "A World of Shabbat Music" at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Congregation Shir Ha-Ma'alot of Irvine. Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino and English will be some of the languages represented. Congregation Shir Ha-Ma'alot is a Reform synagogue at 3652 Michelson Drive. (949) 857-2226.

The Crimson River Quartet will present a gospel concert at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at Cypress Park Community Church. The church is at 5471 Cerritos Ave., Fullerton. (714) 826-4411.

Laguna Presbyterian Church will present its concert series "An Affair to Remember: Love Songs of the Great German Masters" at 4 p.m. Sunday in the church parlor. A dessert reception will follow. Tickets are $10. The church is at 415 Forest Ave., Laguna Beach. (949) 494-7555.

Special Events

The seventh annual Religious Diversity Faire will take place Nov. 19 at UC Irvine. This year's theme is religion and spirituality in a high-tech world. The event, with admission at $15 ($5 for students) begins at 12:30 p.m. at the Student Center. (949) 661-3087.

Liberty Baptist Church will have a Veterans Day service at 10:30 a.m. Sunday. Gary Beikirch, decorated Vietnam veteran and recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor, will speak. The church is at 1000 Bison Ave., Newport Beach. (949) 760-5444. http://www.libertybaptistchurch.org.

Synagogues throughout Orange County will dedicate their Sabbath services to peace and solidarity with Israel on Nov. 17 and 18 in an effort organized by the Jewish Federation of Orange County. "At this time of sorrow and conflict, many people in our community want to express their commitment to peace and their solidarity with the people and the state of Israel," said Bunnie Mauldin, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Orange County.

Rabbi Michael Mayersohn of Temple Beth David in Westminster will lead a "During Tot Shabbat" Sabbath service geared to children ages 2 to 6 at 9 a.m. Temple Beth David is at 6100 Hefley St., Westminster. (714) 892-6623.

An interactive, full-sized reconstruction of the Wilderness Tabernacle will be exhibited to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Woodbridge Community Church. An offering will be taken. The church is at 5000 Barranca Parkway, Irvine. (949) 552-1101.